Wire cork-cage



-Sept. 5, 1967 F VALENTIN 3,339,775

WIRE CORK-CAGE Filed April 28, 1966 United States Patent 8 Claims. (01. 215-94 ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A cork-cage for holding a cork or other bottle stopper in the neck of a bottle, such as is commonly found in bottles which contain gaseous beverages (champagne, etc.), the cage having an upper member which bears against the top of the stopper and a lower loop member which encircles the bottle neck, and only two diametrically opposed ribs extending between said members, the ribs being formed of two wires twisted together and having lower untwisted end portions spaced apart from each other and gripping the lower loop at circumferentially spaced locations thereon whereby the ribs and upper member constitute a stable upstanding structure relative to the lower loop member.

The present invention relates to an improved wire corkcage of the type which may, if desired incorporate a circular plate which bears against the top of the cork.

Hitherto, wire cork-cages have comprised a looped portion which encircles the neck of a bottle or container and a retaining portion which bears against the upper surface of the cork and which is joined to the looped portion encircling the neck of the bottle by four ribs.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wire cork-cage which employs only two ribs instead of, as hitherto, four ribs and which is thereby cheaper and easier to manufacture.

In order to achieve the above mentioned objects and in accordance with the invention there is provided a wire cork-cage comprising a looped first wire member adapted to encircle the neck of a bottle or similar container and a generally circular second wire member which is spaced from the said first member and adapted to seat on the upper surface of a cork or stopper in the said bottle or similar container and which is joined to the said first member by two wire ribs located diametrically opposite one another with respect to the said second member.

Preferably, the fist member comprises a single wire having ends which are interwound to form a closed loop and the second member is formed integrally with the two ribs and comprises two wires the center part of each of which forms one half of the generally circular second member and the ends of which are interwound to form the two ribs.

According to a further feature of the invention a circular plate may be incorporated in the wire cork-cage and attached to the second wire member.

The further advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description of a preferred embodiment of the invention with respect to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a plan-view of a first wire member of a wire cork-cage,

FIGURE 2 is a plan-view of a second member in the process of manufacture,

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a wire-cork cage in accordance with the invention,

FIGURE 4 is a detailed view on a larger scale of a part of the cork cage of FIGURE 3, seen from inside the cork cage,

FIGURE 5 is a section on the line V-V of FIGURE 4, showing the cork-cage attached to the neck of a bottle,

FIGURE 6 is a perspective view of a plate for the cork-cage of FIGURE 3, and

FIGURE 7 is a perspective view of a cork-cage of FIGURE 3 and the plate of FIGURE 6 attached together.

The first wire member shown in FIGURE 1 is produced from a single wire 1 formed into a loop which is suitably proportioned to be engaged on the neck 2 of a bottle, the ends 3a, 3b of the wire being interwound by simultaneously twisting the wire in opposite directions, thereby forming a closed loop.

The generally circular second wire member illustrated in FIGURE 2 is formed integrally with the two ribs of the cork-cage and is formed from two wires 4 and 5 the center parts of which constitute the generally circular second member and the ends of which form the two ribs 6 and 7 the said ribs being obtained by twisting the two wires 4 and 5 together.

At the end of the ribs the wires 4 and 5 diverge as indicated at 4a and 5a, and the divergent sections 4a and 5a are followed by the sections 4b and 5b which are parallel to the ribs 6 and 7 and spaced from each other by a distance e.

The ends 4b and 5b are bent back to form the closed loops 6a, 6b on one side and 7a, 7b on the other side, which are intended to grip the wire 1 of the first member as shown in FIGURE 3, the free ends 40, and 50 being bent back parallel to and arranged in the same plane as the sections 4a, 5a as shown in FIGURE 4. When the wire cork-cage has been placed in position and the first member pulled to tighten it on the neck of the bottle the free ends 4c, 50 of the loops are thereby pressed against the sections 4a and 5a and there is no danger of the loops 6a, 6b, or 7a, 7b sliding out of position or becoming deformed. Because the loops 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b are turned inwardly with respect to the cork-cage and pressed beneath the shoulder a of the bottle neck as shown in FIGURE 5 they do not form any unevenness or projection which might damage the member or the paper covering the cork when the cork-cage in in position.

Because the loops 6a, 6b and 7a, 7b are spaced respectively by a distance e the upper part or second member of the cork-cage is completely stable when it is pressed on a support by the wire 1, the second member resting at four distinct points against the support.

If desired a plate 8, shown in FIGURE 6 may be attached, as shown in FIGURE 7 to the cork-wire of FIG- URE 3. The plate 8 is provided with two diametrically opposed recesses 8a, 8b and a circular undercut groove is provided in its upper surface.

The generally circular portion of the cork-cage formed by the wires 4 and 5 is placed in the groove on the plate and the two ribs 6 and 7 are located in the recesses 8a and 8b respectively and are held therein by lightly crimping the wires 4 and 5 as shown in FIGURE 7.

A cork-cage of the type described herein is much more economically priced than a traditional cork-cage, a result on the one hand of the substantial reduction in the length of wire necessary for its production, and on the other hand by the simplicity of its method of manufacture which lends itself to fully automatic machine manufacture.

What I claim is:

1. A wire cork-cage comprising a looped first wire member adapted to encircle the neck of a bottle or similar container and a generally circular second wire member which is spaced from the said first member and adapted to seat on the upper surface of a cork or stopper in the said bottle or similar container and which is joined to the said first member by two wire ribs located diametrically opposite one another with respect to the said second member, said ribs each being formed of two wires twisted together and having adjacent untwisted end portions thereof spaced apart from each other, said end portions being bent around said first member and back upon themselves whereby said ribs each grip the first wire member at two locations spaced apart from each other along the circumference of the loop formed by said first wire member.

2. A wire cork-cage as claimed in claim 1, in which the said first member comprises a single wire having ends which are interwound to form a closed loop.

3. A wire cork-cage as claimed in claim 2 in which the said second member is formed integrally with the two ribs and comprises two wires the center part of each of which forms one half of the said generally circular second member and the ends of which are interwound to form the said two ribs.

4. A wire cork-cage as claimed in claim 1, in which said adjacent end portions of said two wires diverge from each other away from the axis along which said two wires are twisted together.

5. The wire cork-cage of claim 1, wherein the spaced apart untwisted end portions of each rib comprise first legs divergingly extending from the end of the twisted rib portion toward said first wire member, and a second leg continuous with the first leg and hooked around the first wire member and bent back into the same plane as and in the space between the said first legs, whereby the end edges of said second legs are laterally shielded by said first legs and whereby the radial dimension of said first and second legs is substantially equal to the thickness of one leg.

6. A wire cork-cage comprising a looped first wire member comprising a single wire having ends which are interwound to form a closed loop adapted to encircle the neck of a bottle or similar container, a second wire member having a generally circular portion which is spaced from the said first wire member and a circular cap adapted to seat against the upper surface of a cork or stopper for the said bottle or similar container and having an undercut groove in its upper surface in which the second wire member is engaged, the said second wire member being formed by two wires which are twisted together along longitudinal extents thereof extending from said circular portion and having adjacent untwisted wire end portions which diverge from each other away from the aXis along which the wires are twisted, the untwisted wire end portions being connected to said first wire member at respective locations thereof spaced apart from each other along the circumference of the loop formed by said first wire member.

7. A wire cork-cage as claimed in claim 6, in which the said cap is formed with diametrically located recesses and in which the said second wire member is crimped into the recesses.

8. A cork-cage comprising a first member adapted to encircle the neck of a bottle and a second member adapted to bear against the top of a cork or other form of stopper fitted within the bottle neck, only two ribs extending between said members and connected thereto at opposite ends of said ribs, the lower end of each of said ribs comprising two legs spaced apart from each other, said legs of each rib being secured to said first member at circumferentially spaced apart positions thereon whereby said ribs in combination with said second member are per se stably upstandable from said first member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 534,659 2/1895 Northall 215-84 3,128,896 4/1964 Schnier 215 -94 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,015,073 6/1952 France. 63,574 4/1955 France.

JOSEPH R. LECLAIR, Primary Examiner.

DONALD F. NORTON, Examiner. 

6. A WIRE CORK-CAGE COMPRISING A LOOPED FIRST WIRE MEMBER COMPRISING A SINGLE WIRE HAVING ENDS WHICH ARE INTERWOUND TO FORM A CLOSED LOOP ADAPTED TO ENCIRCLE THE NECT OF A BOTTLE OR SIMILAR CONTAINER, A SECOND WIRE MEMBER HAVING A GENERALLY CIRCULAR PORTION WHICH IS SPACED FROM THE SAID FIRST WIRE MEMBER AND A CIRCULAR CAP ADAPTED TO SEAT AGAINST THE UPPER SURFACE OF A CORK OR STOPPER FOR THE SAID STOPPER OR SIMILAR CONTAINER AND HAVING AN UNDERCUT GROOVE IN ITS UPPER SURFACE IN WHICH THE SECOND WIRE MEMBER IS ENGAGED, THE SECOND WIRE MEMBER BEING FORMED BY TWO WIRES WHICH ARE TWISTED TOGETHER ALONG LONGITUDINAL EXTENTS THEREOF EXTENDING FROM SAID CIRCULAR PORTION AND HAVING ADJACENT UNTWISTED WIRE END PORTIONS WHICH DIVERGE FROM EACH OTHER AWAY FROM THE AXIS ALONG WHICH THE WIRES ARE TWISTED, THE UNTWISTED WIRE END PORTIONS BEING CONNECTED TO SAID FIRST WIRE MEMBER AT RESPECTIVE LOCATIONS THEREOF SPACED APART FROM EACH OTHER ALONG THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE LOOP FORMED BY SAID FIRST WIRE MEMBER. 